Typical high performance actuators are controlled by specialized analog electronics tailored specifically to the actuator type, even if the commands are synthesized digitally. Vehicles such as high performance aircraft typically have unique electronic circuits for each actuator type on that aircraft.
Such custom-designed actuators have a number of drawbacks. Safety-of-flight testing required for flight critical electronics cause an expensive and time-consuming requirement to qualify hardware, including reliability testing and failure mode and effects analysis. By contrast, modifying merely a software parameter or control equation for a new application would eliminate many of the hardware qualification testing requirements. Software test requirements would not increase significantly given that a new application would likely involve new software anyway. Moreover, a system such as an aircraft has different requirements at each control surface, and thus custom-designed actuators and associated loop closure designs for each. The cost of developing unique control electronics for each actuator type can be significantly higher than an approach that utilizes a common design throughout the vehicle. This concept can be extended to the utilization of common hardware across vehicle platforms and/or non-vehicular applications to achieve economies of scale. The present approach increases the logistical tail required to maintain and support the vehicles in terms of unique part numbers, technical publications, etc.